Cole's Story (Part One) : Chasing Peter Pan's Shadow
by Holysocks
Summary: There's more to Cole Lockhart than being just a rancher and a cowboy and this story explores how Cole became a surfer all those years ago at such a young age. Get waxing those surfboards dudes and dudettes!. This one is a "Noah" free-zone and would have been a good direction for the rest of the episode to explore...
1. Chapter 1

"THE AFFAIR" : MISSING SCENES.

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><p>"COLE'S STORY" from Episode Five (Part One).<p>

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><p>Once Cole leaves Alison to go surfing early in the morning. What goes through his mind as soon as he gets outside?. Perhaps it might go a little something like this?. A look into the events which turned Cole into a surfer.<p>

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><p>Part One Of Two : "Chasing Peter Pan's Shadow".<p>

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><p>"You say you want some fun,<p>

You're not the only one, not the only one.

You say, you wanna run,

You're not the only one, not the only one.

You will never get over me,

I'll never get under you.

Whenever our voices speak

It's never our minds that meet.

You say you've come undone,

You're not the only one, not the only one.

You will never get over me,

I'll never get under you.

Whenever our voices speak

It's never our minds that meet.

Lyrics by Paul Waaaktaar- Savoy.

From the CD "Minor Earth Major Sky"

By "A-HA".

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><p>Breathing in the air, filled with a salty tang with splashes of an unknown natural aroma and yet washed in a refreshing feeling, revitalising his senses, a sense of calmness settled snugly over Cole Lockhart as he took a few precious moments to take in his surroundings.<p>

He liked being beside the ocean and on a morning like this one with the sun shining and the sea calling out to him, it seemed too good an opportunity not to miss to indulge in his favourite past time namely being a surfer and a pretty damn good one at that.

The only problem being that his involvement in running the family ranching business was taking its toll on his free time at the minute and not just that, it seemed running not just one side of a certain enterprise that was time consuming but there was another flip-side to this coin.

There was of course the "sideline" of the "other" business that he was involved with that was also restricting his down time but had to be attended to otherwise the income that the Lockhart ranch was funded with could come crashing down at any given moment such was the nature of the enterprise of being involved with illegal narcotics.

Being the older brother, Cole had taken it upon himself as a matter of pride but also as a duty of the first born son and his father's wishes that everything was his responsibility and his alone. Truthfully he wasn't a criminal master-mind, a dealer or even remotely interested in screwing with coke in any way shape or form. No, it was merely a way to keep funding his family ranch, a ranch which had been in his family for seven generations and just like most businesses in and around Montauk, feeling the pinch and tightening of the belt throughout those long months when the tourists and vacationers from the city were away back to their busy lives and waiting for the more lucrative summer season months to come back.

Cole had to keep a clear mind and head on his shoulders, not just as a shrewd rancher and respected business man in the community but also being a surfer, his favourite hobby needed a degree of concentration, poise and balance to be able to ride the waves safely and his judgement had to be as clear and as sharp as glass.

Drugs were a necessary financial life line to fund the ranch and keep his family with a roof over their heads and nothing more but to Cole that's all they were. Of course he had regrets about this "vocation", his brothers were all in on the operation as was his wife Alison, a lovely little "family" run business it seemed but unity was the only way to make this thing work and it was better to keep it in the family rather than let any strangers in. "lockharts" throughout the years had run such enterprises and "side line" businesses. His father, grandfather and great grandfather all had their own extra curricular activities and he was no different to them, only in the choice of illegal substance stood out in Cole's case. No other Lockhart had gone into drug dealing before and that was what made it so lucrative from Cole's point of view. No-one else had dared try it and that's why it was working out for him and his family, so far anyway.

Cole's thoughts turned away from the "family business" and back to his wife as he opened his eyes and returned to the "here and now" standing out in front of the beach house property he shared with his wife and a pang of regret seemed to disrupt his buoyant mood from minutes before.

"Alison", his wife's name fell from his lips regretfully, a little mournfully even as he turned to look back inside the house where she was. Supposedly she had said that she couldn't sleep and had said she was going back to bed to catch a few extra hours shut eye.

Of course in his haste to catch the sun and the surf, Cole had forgotten the most important item that he couldn't go surfing without and had been lax in forgetting to attend to the task of waxing his board before hitting the waves.

He'd meant to do this the other night but what with the meeting in the fire station and all that was going on regarding Oscar Hodges latest business venture, the task of waxing his most treasured surf board had fallen down his list of priorities and he cursed the fact that life seemed to be getting more in the way of trying to catch some much needed "down time".

Heading back inside, much to his surprise, his wife instead of lying in bed and catching up on some much needed shut-eye was up and dressed, looking through her wardrobe at her small collection of dresses.. A look of guilt, he swore was etched on her features, knowing that she'd been caught out by a lie and wondering how she could try and effortlessly glide over the fact that she'd been caught out red handed.

Cole decided to spare her the embarrassment of fumbling over a half-baked apology and save himself the ensuing fall out of trying to get to the bottom of the "little white lie". Alison always did as she pleased and even though this irked him and got under his skin and SHE KNEW IT as well, he was in no mood for going ten rounds in the verbal sparring ring at this point in the day.

"I always love you in that dress", he told her, trying to smooth over any gaping cracks that were threatening to erupt at any given moment between them, leaving her to do whatever it was she was planning to do and giving him some breathing space to try and get his head together. She was wearing a lilac/lavender dress, one which was his particular favourite as the colour showed off his beautiful wife to the waiting world outside their door. He wanted to tell her that, but somehow the words got lost in his haste to escape the situation he now found himself in. He wasn't good with words or a compliment, it was something that came to him naturally in the past, but that had been a better time, unfettered by grief and utter desolation. Both himself and his wife were now in much darker waters and struggling to get normality back in their fractured lives.

The jar of wax retrieved from the dressing table near the bed now firmly in his possession and without any other words spoken but a mutual respect lingering in the air, both it seemed were intent on going their separate ways for the rest of the morning.

The sun's rays hit Cole's skin as soon as he got outside bringing his tattoos into sharper focus, almost giving a three dimensional look to them as they came alive,colours seemingly newly etched and painted, seeping into the canvas of his lower back and torso. They were the marks which defined his character and inner most thoughts, telling their own story about the man that he was and had become over the years.

The first inking had been his "surfer's totem", a rite of passage as a surfer and one which he had gotten as soon as he was deemed "legal" enough to do so, much to his parent's disapproval and consternation. This tattoo protected him whilst riding the waves on his board, giving him the protection he needed against "Mother Nature's" changeable moods. The second of his markings was a matter closer to his heart, one which he could never find the true words to describe, perhaps "actions" were more of his strong point rather than words or careful thought for that matter. The WHY of the tattoo and the woman who had put it there and the loss of his only child was inked into his skin as a permanent reminder of two important people in his life who he had lost in tragic circumstances and was one which he wore as a badge of remembrance to them both.

Stoically and just what was expected of him as a man, he just had to pick up the pieces of his life and try to stay strong for everyone around him despite occasional cracks in his mental, spiritual and emotional self defences from time to time. Mainly he did it not for himself, but for Alison as he knew she was emotionally fragile but he just couldn't seem to reach her.

Cole hated walking on eggshells around his wife. Time had passed since the death of their son Gabriel and although it seemingly LOOKED on the surface that they were both dealing with their only child's sudden death, inwardly and psychologically both of them were broken individuals trying to deal with it as best as they could in their own ways.

Alison seemed to have just shut herself down over the whole "grieving" process, Cole could see the haunted and sometimes blank expression that would glaze over his wife's features from time to time. Triggered by Gabriel's name, a memory or even passing a child resembling their missing youngster was enough to turn Alison from a balanced individual into something which frankly Cole just could not and was mostly unwilling to face at the best of times.

Yes, he'd seen the scars that littered her skin of her legs and upper thighs, he wanted to ask and part of him wanted to understand WHY on earth she could do this to herself but he was no shrink and he was just as messed up in his own head, battling his own demons and cutting himself open but in a completely different manner than his wife was physically doing.

Cole shook away his thoughts momentarily, admonishing himself mentally for dwelling on matters that were only bringing his own mood down. If he didn't snap out of it then it would be like a dark cloud overshadowing him all day long and looking up into the sky and seeing the sun shining back, it was certainly a day for banishing the world and its cares and heading out for the freedom of the ocean.

Bringing his best olive-green long board from its resting place nearby, Cole decided that the sooner this board was waxed and ready to go, the better. Already he had prepared his board to be re-waxed and all he had to do was scrape off the old wax and recoat his beloved board, ready for action.

Ranch work could wait for the morning and besides, he'd have to pop over there later on anyway. Scotty, his younger brother had texted him earlier on saying that some of the vegetation on several of the trail rides was getting overgrown. That was another job which demanded his attention as well as the usual ins and outs of a working ranch and despite Cole being the older brother, Scotty, Caleb and Hal had their own lives to lead outside of the business as well and hired help was expensive these days. Cheapest option was to do it all "in house" really as keeping "it in the family", besides, there were some "off trails" on the ranch that Cole preferred that were left alone. The "off shoot" of the family business was one which was dangerous and besides, if things did go pear shaped, the last place to look would be in any overgrown and hard to reach place on the sprawling property that was the family home and business. However, work could wait and it was time to get down to more relaxing frame of mind and headspace.

"I think it's about time we got re-acquainted there. Am I forgiven?. I guess I've been neglecting you haven't I?", Cole spoke gently, almost apologetically talking to his favourite surfboard and letting his hands run over the sandy, gritty and rough contours of the painted fibre-glass as if he were handling a rare and precious artifact from a by-gone era. First of all he was checking for any damage to his favourite board despite the fact that he hadn't been surfing for several days. A metal comb, he kept in his pocket was going to come in handy as his board needed to be prepared for re-waxing. The early morning sunshine, sand and the heat had already done most of the work he needed to do. A few strokes here and there and his board would be done in no time and retrieving his comb from the back pocket of his surfing shorts, he began to scrape off the old coating of wax from his board.

A couple of scrapes in and he realised that sand and wax would probably flying everywhere and besides, the sleeves of his zip top despite getting rolled up his arms to keep them out of the way were just going to do exactly that and get in the way. Despite it being just after 6am, Cole decided that it was warm enough to forgo the top and let the sun warm his skin. Besides, it would save the top from snagging on any edges of the metallic comb he was using and anyway, after his board was re-waxed, he'd be letting the ocean wash away the sand and wax that inevitably would gather and stick in his hair and beard and everywhere else it seemed to stick.

Unzipping the top he had been wearing, he casually threw it to the side and continued with the task of scraping and alternately smoothing over the surface he was working on. The surfing necklace he wore intermittently clinking against the fibreglass, creating a little hollow sound every time he moved or shifted direction. Leaning into the board and feeling the sensation of rough and smooth surfaces made a slight shiver ripple over his own bare skin. Getting up close and personal with his board was almost as seductive as dancing a tango and seducing a beautiful woman, having her in his arms and whispering all the right words in her ear, falling softly, like a caress onto her skin and weaving a spell that would eventually entwine their souls in that moment as one whole being.

Well, that was how his surfing instructor had explained it to him all those years ago, just as he was shy of his tenth birthday. "Ozzie" certainly had quite a vivid and elaborate vocabulary at his disposal and the man never did quite draw the line between where surfing ended and chasing and seducing the opposite sex began, but he had been one hell of a surfer and one which had influenced the younger Cole that summer and the subsequent four after that when he and his "surfer" gang had hit the beaches of "Montauk". Back then he and his dad would go riding out by the beach as the summer folks started to find their way back into their small tight-knit community and he would remember, back in those days most of them by name.

Cole sighed, thinking back to the past, life had been much simpler back then and less complicated and of course when you're a kid, life seemed to have endless and unlimited possibilities untainted by adult perceptions and responsibilities. There were times in his life that he yearned for that simplicity and unfettered joy but reaching back into the past for him at this point in his life was an escape or luxury that he could ill afford. The rasp of the metallic comb across the fibreglass board brought his mind back to focussing in on the task at hand.

Slivers of sand encrusted wax, fell around the wooden floor of the beach house verandah and caught in the smattering of hair across his chest as he ran a hand through his hair, trying to shake the debris out before the wax would melt and make it difficult to get the stuff out. Many was a time that inevitably gritty sand and wax got left in his beard and hair and Alison would have to try to either soften it or cut it away. He had tried to do it himself in the past but of course Alison insisted that she would do a better job than he would and actually, he had to admit, she was right in this matter. Men really shouldn't have to wax unless of course surfboards were involved and begrudgingly Cole could empathise with what women had to go through, pulling out sandy wax was a bit of a tender subject and although he tried to be careful, there was ALWAYS a casualty, either in his hair, beard or chest.

Alison seemed to have a sly expression on her face, something a little dark even when pulling out these unwelcome reminders of un-waxing his board, Cole trying to not let the pain and subsequent burn of pain show in his expression but it did have its advantages as Allison would insist in kissing the afflicted areas all better, something which turned out to his advantage after all.

Such actions always inevitably led elsewhere and secretly Cole would always try to leave some melted wax and sand in wherever possible, but lately…lately…Alison had changed. Her manner was different, she seemed…well…it was something he couldn't quite put a name to just yet but there was something going on with her which he was determined to get to the bottom of. Maybe Athena was back in town or perhaps it was something work-related. Whatever it was, Cole noticed that she had changed or was in the process of changing and it unsettled him. Hadn't they been through enough already and deserve at least some peace amid all the upheaval that they had been through over the past year or so?.

Working steadily in measured strokes, Cole worked over one side of his board and turned it over to relieve the other side of the same sand and wax mixture. The board seemed to sculpt itself to his own hardened and muscled plains of his own body, the smoother parts of the board gliding against his skin, while the rougher sand blasted coating indented his body coming into contact with it leaving some sand trailing over his abdomen and a fine waxy film coating.. In several choreographed flourishes, the board surface was shaved clean of the mix as Cole made sure that the waxy goo came off the tail fin of the board and blew gently over the skin of the board to make sure any lingering traces of sand and wax were cleared from the surface as stood up, taking his board with him, leaning it against the steps of the verandah to check on the quality of his workmanship.

The pads of his fingers checking every surface open to them and his touch was as gentle as it could be as both by visually checking the board and using his sense of touch to enhance the experience as in his mind. As he inhaled the scent of coconut oil lingering from the board it set his memory drifting back to more pleasant times in the company of his father and back to the care-free time of his boyhood and long lost summer days. The first time he had smelled coconut oil on a surfboard in fact through a chance encounter with someone who would change his life forever.

A broad smile filled his features and set his blue eyes shining brightly in the morning sun as he remembered when he was taking his first lessons out on the surf. In fact the first piece of advice even back at that early age had been one which he had never forgotten all throughout his life. The voice echoed back from those warm, summer days of his boyhood and he could almost imagine for a second being there in that moment as he shut his eyes and it came flooding back to him.

"Ozias Preston Hendrix!", the name fell from Cole's lips as he could picture his surfing instructor. A tall African American with the coolest gang of surfers ever to hit Montauk's beaches and a guy who knew not just about the ins and outs of surfing but a wise teacher in most areas of life in general, and a street-wise attitude coupled with a warm and sometimes shocking sense of humour!. "Ozzie" as he liked to be called was no push-over and happened also to have the coolest taste in bands and music known to a nearly ten year old first born rancher's son. In fact that first summer had been the most pivotal one of all and was the first time that they had met. Ozzie was just one of a group of ten surfers who were "on tour" as such, spending the summer months at various coastal resorts and following the best surf around armed with their boards and a "surfer's" lifestyle to go with it.

Cole could still hear "Ozzie's" voice echoing through the mists of time and his words of wisdom as he recalled one of their later conversations…

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><p>"Cole Lockhart. If you're EVER gonna be one of the BEST surfers then you gotta keep one thing in mind kid. Maybe you're too young to understand but one day I'm damn sure, you'll get it!", the voice chuckled and Cole could hear his own childlike tones ask in reply,<p>

"I'm almost ten!. You got to tell me!. I'll understand, my dad says I'm smart and I can ride one of the trail horses meant for a grown-up but don't tell him that!."

Cole and Ozzie were sitting by a beach fire as the sun was fast sinking below the horizon, the light was fading and Ozzie's friends were all talking nearby and recalling their days adventures in and around the beach community. Ozzie poking the fire with a stick every so often to keep the fire turning over and wondering if this kid had a home to go to and if his parents knew where he was. Not that he minded of course, but he knew the "Lockharts" by reputation and they were a tough bunch, "Tough but fair" it was said and besides "Ozzie" owed Reece Lockhart (Cole's dad) a favour for getting him out of some trouble by the "Hedges" brothers. Hell!. He could take the kid home once it got dark and besides, the kid was too young to party with the grown-up surfers. Reece Lockhart wouldn't want his eldest kid going off the rails and throwing his future away on a travelling surf party and besides, he admired this kid's spirit. There was something about him that would make a great surfer, the kid had it in him, there was no doubt about that!. If the kid could ride a horse then he could most certainly ride a surfboard as he had the balance to master the basics.

"I don't know much about ranching kid but I'll take your word for it and I won't tell your dad!. SO.. young man…the secret that I'm about to tell you is one which is held in great esteem by surfers all the world over. You gotta promise NEVER to tell a non-surfer though. Do I have your word as a beginner and as a kid who can ride a trail horse behind his dad's back?!", the voice held a tone of mock-serious humour and Cole held the memory dear to his heart as he anticipated his new friend's words of wisdom.

"I promise. Cross my heart and hope to die and all that stuff!".

"Well, then Cole, there's two parts to the secret. The first is that when you're old enough and your folks may not like it kiddo, but you gotta get a mark, a tattoo kid. Something like mine that is "born of the seas and the oceans", something that's gonna protect you when you're out there on your board and riding them big waves!. Y'see "Mama Nature" must be respected Cole, just like all her sea children and most importantly, the sea itself. I told you that when we first met kid. ALWAYS respect the sea and the element of water Cole. Don't go and piss old "Mama Nature" off, excuse the language kid, but truthfully, respect water and know your limits and you'll be okay. Got it?". Ozzie's eyes shone humorously but his tone was dead serious.

"Got it!. What's part two to the secret?".

Cole's eyes caught the reflection of the fire light and Ozzie nodded thoughtfully at first, the kid had the spark in him alright and he could put his trust in this young man with the surfing community "secret" code. He could have a little fun though and make the kid think he was part of a special elite group and so he leaned in closer to the boy and in a softer, hushed tone with a hint of amusement added…

"Part two Cole and I'm damn sure you're gonna grow up into a fine upstanding pillar of this here community of Montauk, is something that my instructor told me when I was just a bit older than you are now but I'm gonna tell you kid. Simply put kid, you gotta treat your board with some good old fashioned R-E-S-P-E-C-T, you know that old Aretha Franklin number?."

Cole had frowned and nodded, he'd heard of that record, his dad had a copy in his record collection, he was sure of it. Sometimes his mum would sing it, he hummed a little of the tune from memory faltering a little but he had the gist of tune.

"Got it in one kid!", came a laugh and a hand clap, Ozzie's eyes burned with humour, "NOW you got a bit of soul in you!. As I said, treat the board with some respect and MOST importantly, you gotta treat her like a lady!. A beautiful woman even but Cole in your case, a girl in your school class, women are for grown-ups young man and you'll find out about them all to soon!. As long as you treat your board like you would a beautiful member of the fairer sex, then you're gonna have one beautiful partnership little brother!". Ozzie's eyes gleamed bright in the glare of the fire and revealed his beautifully gleaming teeth as he threw back his head and gave out a hearty laugh.

Damn but this kid had soul and had "surfing mojo!". Maybe Cole Lockhart didn't know it yet, but there was a whole new vista ready to open up for him that summer and it would be something to change his life forever.

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><p>Back in the present Cole opened his eyes and let out a chuckle, "You were right about that one!" as his hands caressed the fibreglass for a few more well intentioned strokes before leaving the board to unscrew the top off the jar that held the wax which would keep his board waterproof and ready for action.<p>

There were many board waxes out there for a surfer to choose from ranging from paraffin to harsher, more chemical like solutions and smells. Ozzie had turned his nose up at the more "manufactured" brands and preffered something more natural smelling, something exotic and alluring. Cole had taken a leaf out of Ozzie's book and had chosen the very same path with the same form and sense of humour as his mentor.

"Now Cole, just like what you put on and in your own body, you gotta know what's right and what's wrong. Some things are just overpowering and don't smell too good!. You can't go wrong with some good old fashioned coconut oil. The chicks dig it young man!. Oh and it makes waxing and re-waxing your board a much more pleasant experience too!.", Ozzie's voice drifted back over time to remind Cole of that fact.

Cole let the aroma of the board wax envelope his senses as he held a jar of "Dr Zog's Sex Wax" in his hand and it never failed to make him chuckle at the name of the product. Ozzie wherever he was now would've loved this stuff!. Certified natural and a mix of beeswax and oils, coconut amongst them with a hint of lemongrass and a pinch of eucalyptus to marry the wax with the scent of the oils, it was by far the best wax that he knew of for his particular needs.

Blowing the excess shavings off the wax comb that was making a second appearance, this was where things were likely to take a rather sticky and unpredictable turn.

Re-waxing boards was a messy business and as a light breeze blew on his skin and the sun's welcoming rays, warmed his body, as he prepared to start the next part of the process and hopefully avoid getting wax stuck in some hard to reach places.

Dipping into the soft, pliable solution with his long fingers, he spread a copious amount of wax along the underside of the board and decided to begin there, working the compound onto the skin of his prized possession tenderly and gently. He imagined that Alison was there, lying across his lap and bathing in the rays of the sun, back to a time before all the heartache and sorrow, remembering when she would lie with him on the beach after he'd come out of the sea still dripping wet and would heat his chilled skin as he lay with her.

Of course, she'd always want him to apply sun tan lotion just as his hands were cold and he could remember making her scream and giggle as he applied the runny mixture onto her pale white skin and her complaints of his hands being like blocks of ice whilst drips of water would fall onto her newly lotioned skin making the task outrageously fun and she would end up covered in half of the ocean and small bits of sand herself as Cole and her would wrestle playfully on the beach.

Cole smiled at the memory, of course Alison always added that Cole, despite working as a rancher and having a job that required a great deal of manual dexterity somehow still managed to have the best pair of hands above and beyond the call of duty for all the small and important tasks. Sun tan lotion application being one of them!. That was Cole's little secret of course, the board wax was also quite useful in keeping his own hands soft and one which as a surfer he'd never let anyone else know about except for the other surfers around Montauk. The choice of wax was always a closely guarded secret and never to be given out lightly and without due consideration.

Using light strokes and working up and down the length of the underside of the board, he recalled another lesson from his days as a surfing novice. The words of his mentor rang in his head as another set of memories came forth as he spread more wax over the board running his fingers in "s-shapes" and working the solution into every possible nook and cranny first with one hand and then alternating with the other hand. A movement which he had developed himself and found that worked best with this particular board, however things hadn't always been that easy!. Waxing was just one stage and combing the wax was another. Trying to balance both activities equally was never going to be easy especially as an impatient child.

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><p>"Cole Lockhart!", Ozzie's voice scolded him and a tutting noise issued from his lips and he wagged a finger in disapproval, "How you EVER gonna impress the girls with your waxing technique just by slapping a whole load of gunk on the board and hoping that you're luck is in?!", he stood and shook his head from side to side. "Kid, you got A LOT to learn!".<p>

"It's just waxing a surfboard!. You're not going to go "Mr Miyagi" on me dude?!", the young Cole stood there standing his ground cheekily thinking that he knew best in this instance when of course he did not.

"You're picking up the lingo, Cole, but you ain't got no technique little bro!", came the reply, "Mr Miyagi, young Cole-san, ain't got my moves!. In fact, taking a leaf out of his book and telling you that waxing a surfboard Cole is perhaps one of the most therapeutic pastimes available to a surfer!.", he laughed making a joke to the infamous martial arts movie, "You saw "The Karate Kid" too huh?!. Guess you got me sussed out there young Cole!".

"Didn't want to let on when we first met, so I played along…like I was acting. If ranching doesn't work out then I might need something to fall back on right?!", Cole joked, a defiant gleam still in his eyes at such a young age.

"Well kid, you had me fooled!. If we get you taught right by the summer's end then you won't need acting or ranching, you'll be a champion surfer and be able to be your own boss!. Now listen Cole, I'm gonna show you how to wax a surfboard and you do remember what I told you about how you gotta respect your board and treat it like a good lookin' girl that you want to impress?!. Well…you heard the saying that you gotta treat yourself with respect first before treating others the same?!. So do you respect yourself Cole Lockhart?!". Ozzie stood there his hands on his hips and raised a questioning eyebrow, waiting for a suitable response to his query.

Young Cole stood there and nodded, "I do." he replied, "I respect my mom and my dad, my brothers too, everyone except…" he frowned and a darker expression flitted over his face.

"That Mr Hodges and his son. Am I right?. I can see that your dad don't like him, you don't like him either or his son. Some folks are just put on this earth to try our patience at times kid. I take it the boy is in your class at school?.", Ozzie recalled the two brothers and the kid with them that day Cole and his dad happened to be riding nearby and thankfully saved him from further trouble.

"His name's Oscar. Thinks he can tell everyone else what to do and he likes to get his dad to pick a fight with mine. Both our families don't get along".

"So you wanna kick Oscar's butt?!", he let out a laugh as Cole nodded in agreement, a big grin on his face.

"Well kid, you're gonna have to wait until you get a bit older, but you can beat a bully in another way in the meantime. I take it Oscar don't do sports much?!".

"Not that I know of. Do you think I could be like you and kick butt on a surfboard Ozzie?!", the young Lockhart looked to his mentor for some guidance on this matter.

"You gotta practise Cole. You gotta work at it!. Not just at surfing either kid but at life!. Things just ain't gonna fall into place like that!", Ozzie clicked his fingers to emphasise the point and gave his prodigy a long look, "You need help as well, you need to find your "surfing totem" kid. That's a lesson we got to get you before me and the crew split from Montauk.", Ozzie stroked his chin and looked thoughtful, "Hell, I ain't guided no-one to look for their "surfing" mojo before. Let me work on that one kid, there are WAYS and then there are other WAYS that these things are done, but with you being at a young age…"

"Ozzie, I'm almost ten!", Cole protested in reply, "It's not fair!. I'm old enough!.". Cole just did not like to be reminded of how young he was and truthfully couldn't wait to grow up and get free of all the restrictions placed on him by his parents and adults in general. When he was old enough he wanted to teach Oscar and his family a lesson, something which his father, despite his tough exterior was unwilling to do for reasons unknown to him at that time.

"Kid. Lesson from Ozzie and take it from me and no doubt your dad will say the same. "Life….it ain't fair kid", remember that!. Now, where we was at was BOARD WAXING!", Ozzie remembered what he was going to teach Cole next. "Walk this way Cole and pay attention!, Ozias P. Hendrix is gonna git you a lesson in how to wax a surfboard and also impress those members of the opposite sex that will be hanging off every word you say by the time I get to teaching you all my knowledge given to me by my Grandaddy who knew everything about surfing and more besides!".

Young Cole looked angry for a split second as Ozzie could sometimes be just like his own father. Willing to take him only so far but then using the old tried and tested excuse of "I'm an adult and you're a kid. Get used to it cause until you grow up, this is how it's gonna be!". The look was fleeting but still etched within him as he sat down to watch his mentor give him the next important lesson in surfing and beach culture, that being how to re-wax a surfboard.

* * *

><p>Really it was only now that Cole realised that he could be pretty trying as a kid and he wondered how on earth Ozzie sometimes had the patience to try and teach this young and sometimes too smart and headstrong kid fated to inherit his father's ranch one day down the line. Cole's fingers dipped in and out of the wax as he let the pads of his fingers work their own magic on the board, telling his own story, putting his pain and sorrow into every stroke and flourish like a master calligrapher focussed on creating his own masterpiece. The brush strokes were his own fingers and the parchment was his beloved surfboard. His story was full of ups and downs, full of laughter and tears and as Ozzie had said, there was some therapy in doing such a simple task. Just being outside and focussing his attention on the board and the activity he was engaged in was actually much better than seeing a shrink, marriage counsellor or a member of the clergy regarding his own battle to master his demons.<p>

His mentor's words and teachings were still fresh in his mind as the day he had learned them and Ozzie had taught him well, just like Daniel-san and "Mr Miyagi", the pair of them, unlikely as it seemed had bonded well together over that first summer. Still, he could recall that first lesson on how to wax a surfboard and the trouble he had in trying to get the right moves and technique correct. Not as easy as Ozzie seemed to make it look as his mentor took out his waxing comb and proceeded to clean the practise board that he'd laid out for his young protégé to work on.

Cole remembered standing there, frowning and feeling exasperated that his first attempt at trying to re-wax a surfboard had met with such stern disapproval from his teacher. That is until Ozzie had made the lesson slightly more interesting than initially he had planned.

* * *

><p>Before Ozzie even let Cole go on a surfboard, he insisted that Cole had to learn the as he called it "the basics of the basics" and Cole of course wasn't too happy at not just getting out there to ride the surf and take it from there. In fact, his face told the story of his frustration even though he tried not to let on to Ozzie too much.<p>

Ozzie thought it best if Cole got acquainted with all the parts of a surfboard, the equipment involved in surfing and of course the fact that the kid didn't have a suitable sized wet-suit was a problem. That he hoped would be solved in the shape of asking one of his surfing gang to go and put the word out to track down something suitable for the young Lockhart to wear.

In fact Ozzie hadn't counted on what happened next to add a little more interest to Cole's first lesson in surfboard waxing and this came in the shape of Natalie and her daughter Jocelyn who just happened to be the answer to Ozzie's problem at that minute in time.

"Looks like your student is getting to grips a little too freely with that wax!", a musical voice joked as a young woman with raven dark hair and her blonde haired daughter called out to Ozzie, both were decked out in wet suits and were unloading surfing gear from their vehicle which was parked on the nearby car park leading to the beach.

Ozzie laughed and winked to Cole, "See what I mean kid. Chicks can't help but get interested in board waxing!. Now you get it?. Shall we invite them over Cole?".

Cole meanwhile seemed to be struck dumb as his eyes were drawn to this newcomer's daughter, who had blonde locks and a pair of sparkling eyes which even from this distance held him in a kind of trance. He recognised this girl, in fact, he frowned momentarily trying to place her…was she in his class at school?. Barely aware of Ozzie's question he mumbled, "Sure, okay…"

"Ozzie calling planet Cole. Come in Lockhart, are you still here?!", Ozzie joked as he could see that his young protégé seemed to have his mind fixed firmly on the girl that looked pretty cool decked out in her own wet suit and carrying her own board under her arm as if it was the most natural thing in the world to do and was returning Cole's gaze with added interest. The slight breeze whipping her untied hair around her small face and an even smaller smile creased her lips as she came closer following her mother over to where Cole and Ozzie were.

"You by any chance wouldn't be Ozzie would you?. Some guy called "Harper" said that you were looking for a kid sized wet-suit for your student.", The woman extended her hand, "I'm Natalie by the way. Natalie Foster and this is my daughter Jocelyn. We've just started up our own business just outside Montauk selling surfing wear, boards and accessories."

"Have you now Ms Foster?!", Ozzie let out a wide charming smile, "Now that is the best news I heard all morning!. I take it you do Cole size here?. I do in fact happen to be Ozzie and this is my new student for the summer, Mr Cole Lockhart.", Ozzie introduced himself and Cole to the both of them and shook Natalie's hand.

"I know you Cole. I seen you around class." Jocelyn let her smile widen on her face appraising the boy in front of her seeing him out of the confines of the school classroom. He was in fact quite cute, something which she hadn't noticed before until now. "Your dad owns that ranch doesn't he with the horses?", she shuffled her feet a little awkwardly in the sand and complimented Cole with the following appraisal, "You can ride real good, I see you and your dad riding out sometimes along the roads and trails."

"Uh, thanks…I…I…um…you…I..", Cole looked and felt a little lost for words as he realised that whatever Ozzie had been saying about girls and surfboards was exactly beginning to hit home and that he felt he was in out of his depth despite being on good old "terra firma". Why hadn't he noticed Jocelyn before?. Until today she was just a girl in his class, non-descript like any other girl and one which he never picked out as a real looker. Confusion seeped into his mind and it showed as he felt a flush across his cheeks at this girl complimenting his riding skills.

"So you surf do you Jocelyn?. How about that?!", Ozzie stepped in and saved the day. "I bet you got a good teacher as well, I can see that you're full of confidence!".

"My mom taught me, I think I'll be trying out in the competitions pretty soon, won't I mom?." she turned to look at her mother who smiled back and put an arm around her daughter and gave her a reassuring hug.

"You're just about there Joss!. I take it young Cole there is just taking his first steps?.", she fixed her gaze on Cole and added, "The Lockharts prefer dry land from all accounts and like their feet in the stirrups of a good horse, I have yet to come across one who was a surfer."

Cole felt his cheeks burn under the gaze of not one but two women and he put his hands in his pockets of his beach shorts and kicked some sand, "Maybe I wanna be different to the other Lockharts, Ms Foster. I wanna do something for me and make my dad proud too", the words fell from his lips as he turned to Ozzie and Ozzie smiled back proudly.

"Young Cole here knows what he wants, Natalie. Is it okay to call you Natalie?. And yes, he is just trying to grasp those "bad ole basics" before I let him in the water!", Ozzie explained.

"Natalie will do fine Ozzie and it's just as well I saw you. We've started to do a range of both kid and adult wet suits…here…" she fished out a couple of business cards and handed one to Cole and one to Ozzie. "Drop by anytime and we can sort you out with something. Boards, T-shirts, necklaces, memorabilia, you name it…we stock it…board wax and combs included".

Ozzie looked at the card which had the name of the business called "Surf'n'Turf" and whistled, "Perfect Natalie!", he smiled broadly again, "You got your first customers without much persuasion, ain't that right Cole?!", he nudged Cole's arm, trying to bring the boy back down to earth and engage him in the conversation instead of gawping at Jocelyn as if she was an angel standing there in front of him.

"Uh, sure…um…you gonna be there Jocelyn, if I um…well...if Ozzie or my dad and I call in...by...uh…any chance?", Cole stumbled over his words again, getting lost in the fact that Jocelyn had laid down her board and took it upon herself to take charge of the situation.

"After school and holidays, weekends too I guess. You're welcome to drop by any time," she smiled and then turned to her mother. "Mom, can I stay here and help Cole and Ozzie?. I think Cole needs help with his board waxing!", she gestured to Ozzie's practice board which was still bearing the scars of Cole's first attempt at waxing. "I think Cole needs a helping hand, maybe I could show you a few things I learned when I started out?". Again her eyes fixed on Cole, determined to get to know him a little better.

"Well that's if Cole and Ozzie agree to that. I hope she's not intruding on the both of you!", Natalie smiled back wondering where her daughter's sudden interest in the oldest of the Lockhart boys had suddenly come from. She could see that her daughter and Cole were a little awkward around each other but could sense that perhaps Joss could find a valuable new friend in the young boy and besides…Cole was a rancher's son who owned horses. What little girl didn't have a thing for horses?!.

Her daughter's first love was surfing but secretly Natalie knew that her daughter was looking for a chance to get into horse riding and that this might be a good way to ease her into looking into this new hobby.

"Well, I ain't got no objections and besides, I think young Cole here is pretty much taken with the idea. You okay there with Jocelyn sitting in on today's lesson Cole?", Ozzie could pretty much sense a certain chemistry in the air and who was he to stand in the way of a blossoming friendship?!.

"Call me Joss, it sounds much cooler", Joss told Ozzie and looked at Cole who nodded and replied, "Okay Joss, you can join us."

Ozzie put the business card in his surfing shorts and clapped his hands, "Well, we got that settled. You need a hand with your gear from your car Ms Foster?. I'm sure Joss and Cole will do just fine in our short absence."

"I think I may have a wet suit for Cole back up there in car. Got a few trial samples of board wax too if you need any Ozzie, I think we should leave the kids to it huh?!", Natalie tried hard to keep her amusement from her daughter and Cole off her face as Ozzie shared a knowing look with her.

"Mom!", Joss knew exactly what both adults were trying to hide and felt a little embarrassed, "I'll keep an eye on Cole, you just…just go…okay!".

"We're gone!", Ozzie grinned and headed off to where Natalie parked the car and yelled over his shoulder before getting five steps, "Cole Lockhart, you'd better take good care of that board while I'm gone. She's my pride and joy!. Keep in mind what I told you about surfboards and wax!. Miss Jocelyn there will keep you right!".

Cole rolled his eyes, but didn't reply and instead focussed his attention on the girl in front of him. He cleared his throat determined to actually speak rather than fluff any further sentences and took a couple of deep breaths to calm himself.

"So, Joss. How long you been surfing then?", it was a good a question as any to try and start a dialogue between them and fill an empty and possibly embarrassing silence.

"Two years now. Started when I was seven. You're just about ten aren't you?.", Joss wandered over to Ozzie's practice board and winced, throwing Cole a look of horror, "How much wax did you put on that board Cole?!."

"I thought it was enough.." Cole looked deflated and his face crumpled seeing Joss's disappointment in him, "I guess I was wrong.."

Joss grinned and added, "You should see the price of the good stuff my mom sells in the shop Cole", bending down she took some shavings that still lay on the board and sniffed them. "Coconut oil.." she grimaced not from the smell but from how much was on the board itself, "Cool but it costs the earth!".

"So how do you wax a surfboard Joss?. Ozzie was just about to show me how it's done and I wanna impress him when he gets back. Show him I didn't y'know mean to screw up!", Cole decided that if Joss had a little more knowledge than he had then it was something worth learning to get into Ozzie's good books.

"Well, Cole. You ride horses don't you?." Joss fixed him with a look.

"Yeah sure", Cole felt confused as the conversation veered off surfing and onto horses.

"Maybe it's like looking after a horse, y'know, grooming it and the stuff that you do on the ranch to look after the horses, cause they don't look after themselves do they?."

Cole thought about it for a moment, "I suppose so. You got a point there. So you're sayin' that I should see a horse there instead of a surfboard?. Ozzie told me that I should see a surfboard like a beautiful girl and look after it as if it were the most precious thing in the world.", Cole's words came tumbling out of him now as his confidence with Joss was growing steadily, "Until today, I guess I didn't get it...but I do now!", he grinned forgetting his previous shyness and gawped at Joss and gulped as his mouth became a little dry and he became self conscious.

"Is that a compliment Cole?", Joss asked him and smiled, her eyes taking on a sparkle to them just like the sun reflecting off the ocean on a cloudless summer day.

"OH!", Cole suddenly reddened, his face going beetroot red as he realised what he had just let slip and found himself fumbling over his next words, "I…I…didn't mean...to…you...um…know…I.."

"It's okay Cole. I didn't mean to embarrass you. But thanks anyway. You know Cole, you remind me of one of the horses that I see you riding sometimes when my mom and I pass you and your dad ridin' out on the road.", Joss had a sly look in her eye, determined to give out something similar in reply.

"I do?!", Cole looked taken aback and wondered just exactly what Joss meant.

"There's this horse. It's a spotted one, an "Appaloosa", you know the one I'm talking about?."

Cole nodded, "That's "Mamba" and he's one of the newer horses my dad bought for trail riding. You like him?.". The conversation was flowing between them rapidly now and he felt relaxed in her company.

Joss nodded, "I do like him, the more I see him. I read about Appaloosa's and how special and rare they are Cole. They got spots on them and are a little different from the other horses aren't they?".

Cole was impressed by the young surfer's knowledge of horses and his face broke out into a broad grin, " You read up on horses real good Joss. That's pretty cool!", indeed he was impressed with this girl and her knowledge of his world. If only he could be the same and learn all there was to know about surfing then the playing field would be levelled. The both of them inched a little closer to each other over Ozzie's surfboard.

Joss noted that Cole on closer inspection had a few markings, freckles and moles of his own about his neck and giggled in delight.

"Appaloosa!", she told him trying hard not to squeal in surprise, "You're marked like an Appaloosa!".

* * *

><p>Cole's mind came back to the present at that minute in time as he finished off his surfboard by dragging the comb through the newly applied wax and making the right shapes and texture needed so that his board would be ready to ride, once the sun had dried out the wax sufficiently. He smiled recalling Jocelyn's fascination with horses and his own unique brand of markings, a fascination that had stayed with her all throughout their teenage years and well into adulthood.<p>

Joss had been the first "proper" girl that he had as a friend and subsequently as a lover.

Things had cooled off ever since he had dated Alison and married her and of course they had to keep things "respectable", Joss had kept her distance and although they still surfed together and hung out at the beach, there was a lingering attraction there between the pair of them. Cole could see that smile of hers every time she saw a freckle or a mole and in fact it was a private "in-joke" between them.

From that day on when they first met at the beach, Joss jokingly referred to him by the nickname "Appaloosa" and Cole found himself thinking back always to that initial meeting and how things changed between them as they grew older and surfed together during weekends and holidays and in fact whenever they had a spare moment to head to the beach.

Cole found a sunny spot to let Mother Nature do the rest of the work for him as he had to go and get changed into his wet suit if he was going to hit the waves. A short time in the sun would get his board ready for hitting the waves and harden the wax to the right consistency for traction purposes.

"Yes," he thought to himself, taking a moment to remember back to his teenage years, "There was time back then to surf and then there was time for…other matters!". He remembered Joss's laughter as she discovered that fateful night when they were older that Cole lived up to his "Appaloosa" nick-name and just like the horse had his own special "moves" out of the surf and back on dry land.

Ozzie had been right though, surfing had moulded and enriched his life in so many different ways and none more so than the people who had shaped his formative years.

If it hadn't been for that chance encounter, one fine mid-morning when he and his dad took the horses for a bit of "beach exercise", then his life could have turned out a hell of a lot different to what it was now…

* * *

><p>"Sometimes you don't know something's open til it shuts..<p>

I loved you so much...I hated your guts..

It's raining now…

Raining on Jocelyn Square.."

"Jocelyn Square" by "Love and Money" from the

Compilation CD.: "The Tree, The Bird, The Fish

And The Bell".

* * *

><p>End Of Part One…<p>

* * *

><p>INTERMISSION..<p>

* * *

><p>Okay folks, that's the first part of this done and just like in the Kirk Douglas version of "Spartacus" and Kubrick's "2001", there's gonna be a break in proceedings while I go and do some research and put my thinking cap on for the second part.<p>

The title of Part One was inspired by "Peter Pan" which is of course the book Alison was reading at Gabriel's grave side in the first episode of "The Affair". I wanted to stick with that theme of the book but they'll be a bit more of that in the second part I think. Same with the "A-ha" track which I thought considering what the show is about was an apt piece of lyric to chuck in.

Looking over at some of the ten episodes of the show, I took some ideas from little bits and pieces of detail that I picked up. More in the next chapter about that when I get to it. However, I did think it should be explained how Cole came to take up surfing in particular since we haven't seen much backstory on that subject and nothing on "Jocelyn" since episode one. Whatever happens to Cole next in Season Two, I just hope he isn't going to hang up the surf board now the ranch is sold.

I saw a programme on the "Appaloosa" horse only this week on television and decided to use this in the narrative. They are lovely horses, special in their own, unique way and of course it seemed a good comparison regarding beautifully and exquisitely marked horses to describe another just as beautiful and intriguingly marked individual central to this story…sorry Mr Jackson but your freckles and moles just get me every time!.

Doing a little research on surfboard waxing, I came across the product "Dr Zog's Sex Wax" and of course, immediately thought, "Come on!. You just got to put this in the story somehow!".

Too good an opportunity to miss really and I hope that Cole does a his boards with "Sex Wax" and lashings of it! ( Damn but someone should sneek a little bit of Product Placement into Season Two of the show!).

Mr Jackson, if by chance you read this, having read about that "Dawson's Crack" poster from an interview, this one should appeal to you!. I'm sure if Season Two kicks off that you could just SOMEHOW get that into the story or ask Sarah Treem to write Cole a surfing scene with board wax included!. Fingers crossed!.

Anyway, good to see that this show won a couple of "Golden Globes" and thank you to unmentioned internet sites for allowing us poor Brits the chance to see it as NO-ONE yet wants to air this show in the UK.

Try and find a song about the name "Jocelyn" by the way ain't easy but I thought that one of my favourite Scots bands (Love and Money) did a good job. Actually it's about a place name in Glasgow but it's a good song.

Back shortly with Part Two and hope you enjoyed this!. Some more surfing action and innuendo to come!.


	2. Chapter 2

THE AFFAIR: Missing Scenes.

* * *

><p>Cole's Story: Part Two.<p>

* * *

><p>The second part of the story sees Cole reminiscing about the past and thinking about his father and meeting "Ozzie" for the first time and losing his son before heading out for an early morning surf.<p>

* * *

><p>"LOOKING FOR THE LOST BOYS".<p>

* * *

><p>" You shot your mouth off like a kid<p>

Who's scared to have a heart

You're losing grip of what really matters,

Cause you don't know where to start…

What's giving you the will to live

Is looking for revenge

The only laugh that you got left

Is hiding from the pain.

What must have happened to your soul

Is Skinnin' you alive

The thing you fear the most is love,

And that's buried deep inside, yeah so deep inside.

Don't lose your head,

Cause I can't do the time,

Don't lose your head,

If you can't pay the price.

The heart you're building out of rock, is turning into sand

Cause you never took the time to think, What it means to be a man,

You act like you got the answers, when the question's never asked.

I've been to where you're coming from but the postcards were so bad…

I'll stab at you in the darkness, cause I'm trying to shed some light,

Your point of view's so meaningless if you ever had one at all,

Well all you seem to care about is, who's gonna take the fall…

Who's gonna take the fall for you…

Don't lose your head…"

Lyrics by Michael Hutchence

"Don't Lose Your Head" from the CD "Elegantly Wasted".

* * *

><p>As Cole bent down and casually washed his hands in the waters of the ocean he couldn't help but smile ruefully as the cold break water of the last wave hitting the shore reminded him of that fateful day back in his childhood when he first saw the ocean in a different light.<p>

Washing the gritty sand and wax mix off his torso as best as he could, he realised that the surf at this time of the morning was colder than he had anticipated and that he'd need to change into his wetsuit to avoid the chill. Invigorating and inviting as the water was, last thing he needed was to catch a cold.

He touched his surfer's totem etched onto his skin as he recalled how he had found the image in a dream and decided to talk to Ozzie about it, knowing that his mentor would perhaps realise its significance. All surfers, he had been told had a "totem", how a surfer found his totem might take days, in some instances years, but Cole had been one of the lucky ones and had found his a few weeks after meeting Ozzie.

"You gotta go with how the dream felt Cole", Ozzie advised him, "If what you dreamed is a good dream, then that's your totem. Your mojo is your mojo and ain't no-one else can tell you nuthin' else kid!". Ozzie had whistled and a gleam of respect lighted up his eyes, "That's one powerful totem Cole. Not jest any ole dragon for you but a WATER dragon, sounds like a "riong" from Korean myth!."

"What do you know about water dragons Ozzie?. Are they special?." Cole inquired, "I've never heard of a water dragon before let alone a…what was that you called it?".

" R-I-O-N-G, Cole, a "riong", being a type of Korean Water Dragon, and always associated with water, clouds or guarding some deep shit knowledge kid!. "You're a "dragon-child" Cole, which is considered to be worthy and people will respect you. I know a little about 'em, from a book here and a little surfer's tale there. Only cause some surfers are lucky enough to get a dream like yours, me…" he laughed, "I got my totem right here tattooed on my leg Cole. And she's a beaut ain't she?".

Cole saw that Ozzie was rolling up his trouser leg and done in the most striking colours of red, white and blue was this mermaid design, the mix of colours showed off every line and detail that he could make out. "That's how she appeared to me Cole, jest like that in a dream, and when I got old enough, I got her marked permanently on my leg for the whole world to admire!. I won't go into the why she got painted in those colours kid. THAT'S a story for when you're older, Cole and I promise I'll tell you it when you're ready, if I's still around and still ridin' my board!".

Back in the present Cole smiled ruefully as he recalled the day he was old enough and had followed in his mentor's footsteps and had got himself inked with his own totem. On a trip with his friends to New York, not exactly at the legal age, he wound up with his totem etched on his skin and a barrel full of recriminations from his parents when they found out. At least the amount of alcohol in his system at the time had dumbed down the discomfort of his first inking. The second time had been much better than the first but still a bittersweet experience nonetheless.

"Certain fish in time aspire to being Dragons Cole", Ozzie smiled and nodded approvingly when he saw his protégé bearing his surfer's mark, the following summer, in fact the last summer that Cole would see him before Ozzie had his accident. "No matter what your folks tell you, it suits you!. Looks like you outgrown my teachings Cole-san. The Chinese have a saying, let me see… it goes like this, "When the fish has been transformed into a dragon" or sumthin' like that. Well Cole, you were a fish when you began your surfin' and now look at you!. You're a damn DRAGON!", Ozzie laughed and joked, "Chinese know what they're talkin' bout, their sayin' means "a happy change has taken place". You winnin' trophies and all Cole!. I'm damn proud of you!. You made ole Ozias a proud man!".

The last grains of the married compound still clung stubbornly to him and the only way that was going to come off was with a hot shower, but there was time for that later on, perhaps he might wait for Alison to return or wait until evening when they were alone and resolve the situation in a more seductive manner.

Memories of Ozzie faded for the time being and something else unexpectedly took his place.

Standing up, he took a deep breath of crisp air and closed his eyes. A melody entered his mind, a foreign sounding song which he hadn't heard for years and suddenly it crept upon him, tapping him on the shoulder, waiting for recognition, waiting for him to turn around and acknowledge the forgotten memory.

Cole's mind flitted back to his childhood and in particular memories of his father came springing back. This was a song that was close to his father's heart and from one of his favourite bands. His old man whistled the tune interspersed with the Spanish lyrics…

* * *

><p>"Este Amor Ilega Asi De Esta Manera. No Tiene La Culpa. Cabailo De Danza Vana.<p>

Porque Es Muy Despreciado, Por Eso. No Te Perdona De Ilorar. Amor De Compra E Venta. Amor De En El Passado..

Bamboleo Bambolea,

Porque Mi Vida, Yo La Prefiero Vivir Asi.."

"The Gypsy Kings". "Bamboleo".

* * *

><p>Reece Lockhart saw his son's nose crinkle and the young boy shifted uncomfortably in the saddle. His oldest son wasn't a fan of "The Gipsy Kings" that was one thing he knew for sure, the boy preffered more modern sounding music and Reece knew that in some ways both him and his son were always going to be miles apart regarding musical preferences. Despite his best efforts to try and explain to Cole that the Spanishflamenco sounds of the band were the musical equivalent to the beauty and movement of the horse and teach his son about combining both interests to gain a fuller understanding of the business he would inherit one day, the boy had his own ways set in stone.

"Dad!.", young Cole gave him a look, "Sing that stuff around mom!. It's just…", he sighed, "not real cool!".

"Son, there's plenty of uncool things in this life and music, well my particular music may sound dated to your ears but that "noise" that you call "modern music" will never last!. At least "The Gipsy Kings" have re-invented a classic sound to call their own and brought some life into what they do. What's the name of that band you like?. I can't recall hearing them cover or update any "classic songs" of late. All I hear is a noise Cole and besides, your mother seems to be constantly yelling at you to turn it down. Caleb's just turned two and Hal's only six months, you really need to think of others Cole other than yourself!".

Cole hated being the oldest, Scotty was three years younger than him at six and having to keep an eye on him and sometimes Caleb as well when his mum was attending to baby Hal was something that weighed heavily on his shoulders. All he wanted was some time away from the madness of having to be "responsible" and be like the kid he was supposed to be. Being out with his dad, riding on a day like this was a welcome break from all the noise, crying, tantrums and general mayhem that the Lockhart family home on their ranch usually entailed. Trying to maintain his young composure, Cole answered his father back,

"If you got me one of those "Walkmans", I could play music loud and not disturb you or mom!. Corey has one and so does Will. Their dads gave them as birthday presents!. I'm nearly ten soon, can't I get one?. PLEASE?!. I'll do double shifts mucking out all the stalls if that's what it takes!", Cole decided to try and play the old "my friends have them so why can't I?" routine and see how it would go.

They were riding along one of the quieter roads out from town on a lovely warm day. The sun was in the sky and there was a gentle breeze, bringing in the smell of the nearby ocean and the sounds of the summer folks enjoying the natural scenery of Montauk. They had already seen and recognised a few faces from the crowds who frequented the town and were trying to drum up some business for the "summer season" to fill the ranch's coffers for a little while longer.

Reece Lockhart could pull out all the stops and ride into town on the best of his trail horses with his eldest son and drum up a little business by a carefully placed smile here and there and a well rehearsed speech regarding the wonders of trail riding on the "Lockhart" ranch as well as a well presented flyer showing where the business was located. Sure they had enough money coming in for the time being but with a growing family to feed and raise, Reece Lockhart had the other side of the so called "ranching" business to deal with aka his little "side project" which he guarded from outsiders and trusted very few men close to him to run.

In fact it didn't help matters much that there was the rival Hodges clan were vying with the Lockharts for a "piece of the action". He always had to keep his guard up in town and gather up info on his rivals, those Hodges brothers were always up to no good, Brent Hodges, their father had been a nasty piece of work but his sons Alex and Dale were like a chip off the old block and young Oscar, Dale's son was at the same school as Cole and was building up his own reputation at such a young age with an aggressive attitude.

Reece had built up the family bootlegging business inherited from his father and his father before him and ran it from a still located on the Lockhart's sprawling property with help from some of the men that helped him with the day to day chores on the ranch. One day he hoped to leave this to his son, Cole being the oldest would have to step into the "family business" whether he liked it or not. The boy had the makings of a great head of the next generation of Lockharts even though he had a tendency to think that he knew better at times and not think things through properly and just go in there all guns blazing!. Cole had a temper on him and even at this tender age, Reece Lockhart knew that the boy had to channel that energy into something worthwhile or it was going to end in tears for his eldest son one day.

Rock music wasn't his idea of trying to calm him down but Cole seemed intent on being more rebellious of late and whether that was born of frustration or responsibility, Reece Lockhart was looking for a way to keep his eldest on the right side of the track.

"I'd welcome the help Cole but son, think of your hearing. I don't want you as deaf as a post by the time you get to my age and one day you'll thank me for it. When you're older you can get this "Walkman" or whatever you kids call 'em!. For now, I want my son to at least hear what's goin' on around him and it's for your own good!", Reece replied and saw that dark look cross Cole's young features.

"Cole, when you get kids of your own, you'll understand!", Reece added trying to sound less authorative, "You'll be a parent one day and think back to this moment and it'll click into place like this!", the elder Lockhart clicked his fingers, "You'll be thanking me for it son".

* * *

><p>As Cole dug out his trusted "Snugg" wet suit, he realised grimly, that his father was completely correct in his assumptions and at that minute in time, how he wished his father was here to give him the help and advice that he really could do with at this current cross roads in his life.<p>

Briefly, just as his father predicted, he had become a parent. He had been a father to a beautiful golden haired son who he had named "Gabriel". For four years, the light in his life and the reason he knew that he'd been put on this earth to do at least something good whilst he was here. The next generation of Lockharts beginning with his son was something that he hoped he'd be growing old and wise to, watching them run, fall, trip and even succeed in this journey that was named "life" in fact he even had plans to name his second and third born sons along with perhaps a daughter to complete the circle. Sadly though, it was a dream, something that once COULD have been but was now cruelly ripped from him by a tragic accident.

Cole remembered the old myth of the god "Prometheus" chained to the rock, punished by the gods for giving mankind the knowledge of fire and paying dearly for parting with such forbidden fruit. First born sons it seemed were cursed with death or madness in this crazy world. The terrible price of madness meted out to him whilst his first born, Gabriel had been cruelly ripped from his being, his very soul, like the talons of the eagle ripping his flesh and devouring it, only for it to be healed for a short time before he experienced such pain, misery and sorrow all over again.

Taking a few deep breaths to calm his emotions, he felt the pain rise in him once more. The scar that never healed, ripping open time and again just to remind him of what he had lost.

Gabriel could and should have been the next Lockhart to take his place at his side on the ranch, being taught how to ride, how to handle a horse and what to look for in a trail horse. Not just learning the ropes of the ranch but learning how to ride a surfboard just like Cole learned that summer and making the same mistakes that he had made, clumsy at first but finding his sea legs and balance and eventually making his old man proud and "Ozzie" the happiest surfer in all of the east and West coast.

* * *

><p>"Damn Cole. It just ain't right man!", Ozzie had laid a hand on Cole's shoulder as both of them stared at the gravestone of young Gabriel Lockhart as the sky overhead was threatening to turn a deeper shade of grey and let loose a deluge any minute.<p>

"No man should out live his son", Ozzie sighed and did his best to try and be strong for his friend and fellow surfer. "I can't imagine what you're goin' through there man. There's no words I can give you Cole, I'm sorry for your loss, truly I am".

"Thanks for coming today Ozzie. I'm grateful to you. Gabriel would've…", Cole's words stuck in his throat and the end of the sentence just remained unspoken, his face wearing the haunted look of a man seeing the horrors of war and recounting the images burned into his mind. He tried to focus through the numbness to try and make a connection, human to human, friend to friend, man to man but something just wouldn't "click". The words sounded jumbled, meaningless and hollow and perhaps the alcohol he had consumed earlier was now wearing off him and reality was forcing him to see events as they were in the cold light of day.

"He was a smart kid Cole. He'd have made a great surfer just like his daddy, of that I DO know. I could see the same light in him as I saw in you all those years ago.", Ozzie tried his best to say something to give Cole some support at this sad time. He noticed the distance between Cole and his wife Alison all throughout the ceremony, both broken parents grieving in their own way but seemingly finding it impossible to put aside blame and remorse and grieve together.

He sighed and even though he knew what Cole would say, he knew he had to say it to him, regardless of his friend's emotions at this time.

"Cole, don't forget your wife. Alison needs you and despite what's been said and perhaps remains to be said, you gotta go and be there for her too. You can't blame each other forever, man, it ain't gonna kick start the healin' process and both of you need to heal". He hoped Cole would take his advice on board, after all SOMEONE had to say it and break through the stubborn and proud façade of the eldest Lockhart. Somewhere in there was still that kid that he could see glimpses of from all those summers ago.

Ozzie looked stiff and uncomfortable dressed in clothes that seemed alien to him and his own body was suffering the ravages of time and his own scars, he now had to hobble around on a stick as his left leg had never truly got the feeling back in it.. Ever since his accident he was only too aware of how fragile an existence this whole mess of a thing called "life" was and had been thankful he had his own support network to keep him sane.

Looking at Cole now, he could see the grief etched on his soul and the battle that his friend was having to keep himself going. Cole was going to need his friends, family and all the support he could get to keep himself from falling apart.

"I know that Ozzie. It's just part of me feels like I'm buried in the earth with my son and another part of me can't look at Alison, let alone be there for her. I know no-one's to blame but I can't accept that yet. I just don't want to accept I'll never see Gabriel again and all my dreams for him are just gone.", Cole admitted, knowing his friend was right but it was just too soon to try and rebuild anything with Alison. Hell, he could barely function himself at this minute in time.

She could barely function on her own and it was up to his own mother to step in and try and keep his wife together both emotionally and physically and he had to try and keep it together in his own head. He felt the most alone he had ever been and despite his brothers support and along with the community paying their respects even Oscar Hodges sending his condolences on behalf of their family failed to somehow give him the support he craved and needed at this time.

"Thanks for being here man. It's good to see you again," Cole embraced his friend in a bear hug and tried to keep his thoughts coherent and clear as tears welled up in his eyes. At least Ozzie hadn't let him down and he felt a little more balanced with his old surfing mentor here giving him someone he felt he could talk to and unburden his grief for a short time.

"I'd better not keep you any longer, you got your own family to get back to.". Cole had seen them at the back of the funeral party but had kept his distance until Ozzie had approached him, he didn't want to intrude and besides, Ozzie's story was one which had too many similarities to his own to deal with at this minute in time.

Ozzie nodded as he gave Cole perhaps the best advice that his friend could get from someone who had his life turned upside down just as unexpectedly.

"You'll get through this Cole. Ole Ozias here knows a little of what you're goin' through and it's important not to shut yourself off. When I was lying in that hospital bed, every bone broke in my body, I thought I'd never get up and walk again.", Ozzie's eyes took on a darker tone for a brief minute before brightening up to add, "I damn well did though and it ain't perfect Cole, I get my bad days like anyone else, but it's gonna take time.", he gripped his friend's shoulder, "YOU WILL GET THROUGH IT".

Cole nodded and tried to smile, "Take care man. We'll catch up soon".

Ozzie turned towards a small group huddled nearby, his own wife and two grown up sons and teenager in tow ready to welcome him back into the fold and help him negotiate the maze of graves and winding cemetery paths back to the present and his own life.

Cole watched his friend hobble away, the proud young surfer of a by-gone era reduced to a mere shadow of his former self all because of a rogue wave and a twist of fate. He could see that they both shared a common grief and as he looked back to the gravestone of his son, he realised that Alison was still nearby not having left with the rest of the funeral party. His mother hovered nervously nearby, hoping that her son and his wife could do the right thing and grieve together beside their son's grave.

He couldn't look at her though, the grief still being raw and yet he felt hollow and numb inside and perhaps she knew not to approach him as she kept a respectful distance, fingering nervously with the copy of "Peter Pan" that she insisted on bringing with her to this solemn occasion. Alison wore the traditional black for this sad occasion, her face all puffy from lack of sleep and constant crying, she looked dazed and confused during the ceremony and Cole couldn't reach out and give her the support she knew she needed. The chasm between them was just too wide to bridge.

In the tree above a lone crow broke the pall of silence that enveloped the cemetery, tears and eulogies but a mere memory and the cold hard, light of day dawned on Cole.

His son was lying in the cold earth and he was the one left alive having to deal with the fall out and to keep everything going. As he unclasped the necklace from around his neck, Cole stared at the surfboard hanging from it, his fingers rubbing the totem as if it could somehow bring his son back from the depths of the cold earth.

The crow above him cawed and cawed once more as Cole bowed his head, damned if he knew how the hell he was going to pick up the pieces of his life without his son there by his side. He remembered seeing a film ironically called "The Crow" and he could never imagine the grief and pain that could power the lead character of Eric Draven to do what he did.

That is until today. Now he understood and now he realised how powerful untamed, unchecked grief and emotion could be and it held Cole in the grip of a powerful spell.

He kissed the surfboard totem and placed it on Gabriel's headstone and held it in place by a white stone that he carried from the shore and from one of his outings with his son beachcombing and collecting various colours and varieties of rock washed up by the sea.

"Goodbye Gabriel…", the words choked in his throat as he spoke them and tears fell on the cold, grey granite of the memorial stone. His fingers trailed over his son's name etched in stone, there for an eternity and for all time after that.

"GABRIEL LOCKHART 2008-2012".

A small lamb's image was etched into the durable stone in one corner whilst on the opposite side and on the top of the memorial was a stone effigy of an angel. There to guard and to watch over his son for all eternity it seemed, but Cole wasn't a religious man.

From that moment onwards, Cole always knew that the man he had been up to that point would be forever lost. Something in him couldn't be fixed or healed, perhaps even a part of his humanity was just simply not there any longer.

The better part of him remained buried in the depths of the earth along with his son.

* * *

><p>"You gotta stand up straight,<p>

Carry your own weight, These tears are going nowhere ,baby.

You've got to get yourself together,

You've got stuck in a moment,

And now you can't get out of it.

Don't say that later will be better,

You've got stuck in a moment

And you can't get out of it".

U2 : "Stuck In A Moment".

* * *

><p>Ozzie had been right to say it. There were good days and bad days. Cole had them and he knew Alison was no different as she suffered in her own private hell. The pain lessened and grew to a more manageable level over time, but it was always there and would always continue to be there until his last breath. Dwelling on it just made it worse and Cole was determined to try and set aside time every day to deal with it but he couldn't let it control his life as life was too precious and precarious at the best of times to be living with a constant black cloud of grief hanging over his every move.<p>

Shedding his clothes into a careless pile, he let the cool breeze caress his skin before stepping into the wet suit and letting the contours and planes of his body meld with the insulated material as he tied the sleeves of the wet suit around his middle before checking on the progress of his board. Snippets of conversation from the past floating into his mind from the past. In particular the response that his second attempt to re-wax a surfboard had put a smile on his mentor's face.

* * *

><p>"Well, well, well, Mr Lockhart. I see leaving you in the company of Miss Jocelyn has improved your board waxing skills", Ozzie's hands inspected the work which Cole had memorised from his new friend. "I knew it!", Ozzie grinned, "Now that's what I call a surfboard wax kid!. You did good!".<p>

"Um Ozzie…" Cole ventured to ask, " That stuff about surfboards and girls…", Cole sighed wistfully, "I kinda get what you're telling me!".

"Oh you do now?!", Ozzie let out a laugh, "Well young-Cole san. You gotta crawl before you can walk and you gotta walk before you can run!. Now we got that sorted out, we got you crawlin!. Now we gotta git you at least takin' some baby steps!". Ozzie produced his surfboard comb, "Jest gotta finish this off Cole. Remember to ALWAYS use a comb for traction purposes. You gotta stay on the board like your feet are glued to the surface and only by combing the wax are you gonna do that!".

"Uh-okay.." Cole watched as Ozzie showed him how to finish the practice board off with some interesting flourishes and shapes. Ozzie made it look so easy, his movements were fluidic, practised and totally professional.

"See Cole, give it a go and we'll let the board dry off once you're done. I gotta a lot to teach you kid and there's a lot you gotta pick up. Whether you like it or not, you'll be getting your homework for tomorrow's lesson!". Ozzie decided that this was the best way to get Cole to absorb the information and knowledge that he needed and he was already formulating what Cole's homework for tomorrow would be.

Cole took the comb and followed the same steps that Ozzie had done, combing through the top half of the board and trying to make his first attempt at combing count. Jocelyn had given him the confidence to try and impress Ozzie with a few more advanced moves and Cole was only too willing to learn and pick this up as quickly as he could.

"You're lookin' good Cole. I daresay that you'll be a pro like me in the not too distant future. Wait til your dad sees what you've learned so far kid. He'll be proud of his first born son, I can guarantee that!", Ozzie beamed as he watched the young Lockhart get to grips with combing the wax. "You gotta get your own groove Cole. In everything, not just waxing boards and combing up right, it jest takes a little bit of practice!".

"So when do I get out onto the ocean and ride a big wave Ozzie?!", Cole's eyes looked wide and his enthusiasm was brimming over, "Did you get me a wet suit?!".

"I sure did Cole. What was I sayin' about baby steps though kid?!", Ozzie gave his student a disapproving glare, "Board gets to git dryin' first and even then, we're doing some "land" basics first. The sea comes later kid!".

"Ozzie!", Cole protested as his teacher produced a wet suit that was his size from nearby and held it up.

"Kid, you gotta learn patience!. Didn't I tell you that on day one?! Try this on for size!". He threw the wet suit at his young student who caught it with a wide grin and looked as if he was "king of the beach" for that moment in time.

* * *

><p>Cole smiled as he found that his board was coming on nicely and was almost done, he'd be ready to head out into the surf very soon and hoped that he could catch some big waves as the sea was looking favourable this morning. In fact that day he had met Ozzie had been a day similar to this one and it was perhaps just as well that both he and his father had headed off the main road and down to the beach or his life might not be what it was today.<p>

His father had wanted to show him a place further along the beach where it was said that the earliest smugglers had landed their forbidden cargo to sell in the nearby towns up and down the local area. Actually Reece Lockhart had boasted that it was in fact a Lockhart that had been one of the most successful bootleggers and smugglers in those by gone days that in no small way had turned the fortunes of the town that would become "Montauk" into the place it was today and was telling his eldest son that at one point the whole beach had been in their family's ownership.

* * *

><p>"No way!", Cole's face lit up as he listened to his father recount the earliest history of the Lockhart clan. "This whole beach was once ours?!. That is so cool!".<p>

Father and son seemed to have forgotten their earlier disagreement over music and were now settled into a rhythm of their own, talking and riding and enjoying their detour from riding on hard tarmac to the softer surface of the beach. Around them the summer crowds of surfers and tourists were enjoying the scenery and Cole found himself distracted a little as he saw the surfers riding the waves, completely at ease with their sport and making it look so easy. He struggled to pay attention to his father's words, one ear on his dad's tales of Lockharts gone by and one eye stuck onto the ocean as surfers seemed to be everywhere he looked.

"Back in the day Cole, no-one and I mean, no-one could get away with anything as far as the eye could see. This was initially Lockhart territory and we knew what was goin' on. We were top dogs son. Had our hands in every business available and life was good for a while at least. See son, there's always someone out there that's wantin' to cause a ruckus. Wanting to stir up a little trouble and trouble is something that us Lockharts try to avoid if possible but ALWAYS seems to get the better of us!", Reece grinned and laughed, "Some would say we were cursed son but maybe it's just bad luck!".

"So are you in any trouble dad?", Cole's brow furrowed as his mind tried to take this new information and digest it, "Are you like the Lockharts of the past?. What about me?. Am I cursed as well?". His attention focussed back on his father and away from the surf action once more, Cole's voice was filled with slight apprehension at his father's words.

"Well, Cole, sometimes life gets messy as you get older son. You'll find that out for yourself one day. The past always has a habit of creeping up on you when you least expect it. We're just sometimes in the wrong place at the wrong time and then son, the real crap hits the fan. No Cole, I ain't in any trouble and I hope to keep you outta trouble son unless of course trouble comes lookin' for you!", Reece laughed again, "What do you say about pickin' up the pace son and let's give these trail horses a good ride?!". The elder Lockhart spurred his horse into a canter and looked over to his eldest.

"Sure thing dad!", Cole followed his father's lead and the both of them continued their ride up the beach to their intended destination. A trail of sand riding in the wake of the horses hooves on the sandy beach, whilst plumes of spray rose up behind the surfers as they rode their boards on the sea as both sets of riders left their marks on the world that afternoon.

Cole and his father unfortunately came across what looked like trouble, as they slowed their horses down to a gentle trot and rounded the corner to a place that Cole's father called " Mehigo Point". This was where it was said that the first Lockhart all those years ago had landed with contraband and started the "other family business". Reece had explained to his son that the boats carrying the goods had to come into shore on good waves as they had to quickly get on the beach, unload the cargo and head back out to sea just as quickly before being spotted by other gangs or local law enforcement.

"Son," he explained, "There was a "dog eat dog" mentality back in those days. The quicker you got on shore on a good wave and unloaded, the quicker you could get out and come back for several trips. That meant more money, more prestige, son. However it meant twice the danger and sometimes a smuggler's luck would run out on him. Come to think of it Cole, we were surfers of a kind, riding the waves and looking for an opportunity whenever we could…" Reece's voice tailed off as he heard raised voices up ahead and broke off his story and Cole's attention turned to the fracas that seemed to be developing a short distance away.

Reece Lockhart narrowed his eyes and his expression became as hard as stone, "Damn Hodges brothers!", he cursed under his breath and realised that both brothers were there taking out their ire on what looked like a lone surfer that was trying to stand his ground. Watching the scene close by was the young Oscar Hedges, the next generation of "Hodges" offspring avidly learning by example of what father and uncle considered their brand of bullying and vigilante justice.

"Dad!", Cole looked to his father and saw his father's grim and stony expression at the mention of the Hodges name. Both families were sworn enemies as far as the young Cole was aware. WHY exactly this was had never been explained but all he knew was that his father and Brent Hodges never saw eye to eye on anything and Brent's two sons were nothing but trouble, according to bits and pieces that he picked up from various conversations over the years. Both men were short, stocky men and had the intelligence to match which according to Cole's dad was very little indeed and they both loved to drink and pick on their targets just for the sake of maybe looking different or not sharing their mentality or saying that everyone should be treated equally regardless of age or origin.

Cole remembered his dad telling him that he had no respect for them, Brent Hodges on the other hand was a more worthy and challenging adversary and begrudgingly Reece Lockhart admitted that Brent walked and talked his actions, backing them up with intent. His sons however were unworthy of the same respect.

"C'mon Cole, stay behind me son. I'll be damned if I'm gonna let those Hodges brothers bully whoever they like, especially on land which was once ours!", Reece Lockhart spurred his horse forward and his son followed close behind. Indeed it seemed that the Lockhart "curse" had found them once more that day.

"WHO THE HELL DO YOU THINK YOU ARE TRYING TO TELL ME WHERE I CAN SURF AND WHERE I CAN'T?!", the clear and exceptionally fiery tones of the surfer hit the young Lockhart's ears as he and his father rode up to where both Alex and Dale Hodges stood poised ready to attack at a moment's notice. The surfer's eyes blazed angrily and his manner was defensive, knowing all too well what this might easily lead to.

"This beach belongs to this here population of Montauk and not to the likes of you!", the tone wasn't loud or threatening, just very dangerous and cold as Alex Hodges took a step forward jabbing a finger towards his intended prey and Dale his brother stood with crossed arms and a self satisfying smirk on his face.

Alex Hodges wasn't exactly a tall man, more of average height and the surfer towered over both him and his brother, more than ready to stand his ground but realising that suddenly they weren't alone and that this disagreement had suddenly gone pretty public.

"I sure hope you boys are smarter than you look cause looks like we got some company. How bout we ask this gentleman and the boy here?, the surfer gesticulated to the arrival of the Lockharts on the scene and decided it was better for all concerned to take the heat out of the situation now that there were children present.

"What type of people do you think live in Montauk Hodges?!", Reece Lockhart didn't bother to dismount but stayed firmly in the saddle as his horse snorted and restlessly eyed the two brothers in a disdainful manner just as his owner. The horse could sense tension in the air and Reece Lockhart eyed the man that both brothers were harassing and gave him a slight nod of the head. Unspoken signals seemed to be communicated between them and the young Cole sat watching all this through the eyes of an innocent child.

"LOCKHART!. You still think you got the right to tell folks around here and especially my brother and me what we can and can't say?!", Dale turned towards Reece and gave him a withering look, "Hell, look at him!. Sittin' in that saddle all righteous with his little brat by his side!".

"You watch your mouth Hodges!. There ain't no need to use that language around my son. Hell, no wonder your kid is a chip off the old block, you got no respect for folks, either of you so how do you expect the next generation to have any?!", Reece Lockhart's features darkened further and he moved his horse menacingly closer to the Hodges brothers aware of young Oscar's interest not so far away. Goodness knows what that kid must be thinking!.

"You should listen to my dad and just leave!. This beach was once ours and I don't think we want you here!", Cole spoke up bravely and looked at the surfer standing there watching the drama unfold, "He's got as much right to be here as any of us and if he wants to surf here, I don't have a problem with that!", Cole mirrored his father's movements and drew his horse forward, closing in on the Hodges brothers.

Cole's face was determined and both Hodges brothers could see something in the kid's expression that meant business. A look that betrayed his years and innocence and something that made the surfer standing nearby also take note of.

"Kid's like his old man!", Alex sneered and looked to his brother for support, "He ain't worth it!. Ain't nuthin' but "small fry" huh bro?!. I bet your Oscar could whup his ass out that saddle in no time!". Alex whistled over to Oscar, "Hey Oscar how 'bout you and Lockhart slug it out here?!", he laughed at his own joke.

Oscar meanwhile just continued to watch the action unfold and replied, "Him?!. I could but I don't wanna waste energy on the likes of horse-shit like that!". The kid, built a little stockier than the usual ten year olds just sat back and took a slurp out of his "Coke" can and grinned. Seemingly he was indeed a chip off the old block just like his father and uncle.

Dale Hodges being the older brother took stock of the situation and knew that all he and his brother could do was trade insults back and forth until the sun went down. Besides, two experienced riders on horseback and this surfer they had picked on were well capable of swinging the odds in this fight and besides as a pang of paternal responsibility flitted through him, this wasn't what his wife Sharleen would want for him or young Oscar. She was capable of giving them both the razor edge of her sharp tongue if she heard of them getting into any trouble. Better to play it safe than sorry here.

"So we insult each others kids Lockhart?. Is that how you wanna play it loser?", Dale grabbed the rein of Reece's horse and stared long and hard at the man. "You don't own this beach any more and you should keep in mind…" he lowered his voice and glared arrogantly, "Which ancestor of mine took it from you!".

Reece Lockhart, calmly bent closer to Dale Hodges and answered back calmly but coldly, "Take your hands off the rein Dale. May I remind you that one of your kin back in the day came off worst when he tried to take something that wasn't his. Wasn't it your granddaddy, old Jimmy Hodges if I recall, tried to do some horse thieving and the dogs on the ranch…"

"LOCKHART!", Dale swiftly removed his hand off the rein and visibly paled and took a step back, "THAT WAS THEN BUT THIS IS NOW!".

Cole turned to his dad and frowned, "You never told me about that story. What did the dogs do to him?", the question was asked so innocently and the elder Lockhart gave a wry grin in response to his son's question.

"No son, I think we should let either Alex or Dale tell you what happened to their granddaddy. Gentlemen?. Would either of you care to enlighten my eldest boy on what dogs can do to trespassin' and low down thieving good for nuthin' low life?!", Reece Lockhart toned his language down for Cole's sake. Having a history of ranching and the language that went with it from a by-gone era was something that he was proud of and kept a good family tradition going.

Modern language just didn't do it for him, the old way of talking was much more "colourful" and descriptive in his opinion besides, he didn't want to stoop to the for familiar expressions used by both brothers. This way he could patronise them with his sharp tongue and send them off back to daddy despite their physical age.

"You ain't heard the end of this Lockhart!", Alex spat at the ground by Reece's horse and glared at both Cole and his father full of hatred and venom.

"Yeah junior, just watch your back for my boy!", Dale sneered and tugged at his brother's shirt, "C'mon we got better things to do than waste another breath on these two losers!". Dale motioned for Oscar to join them and the younger Hodges joined his father and uncle in giving the Lockharts less than admirable looks.

"WE GOT YOU MARKED BOY!", Alex pointed at the surfer, his fingers shaping into a gun and pretending to shoot him, "You think this is it?!. No, this is just the beginning!." and he laughed crazily.

" Dale!. You keep that brother of yours on a tight leash or I'll be having words with Brent!", Reece Lockhart warned him, "If I see you on this beach again harassing ANYONE and especially this surfer, old Jimmy Hodges won't be the only Hodges in the family tree who lacked the balls to add to your ancestry, my dogs ain't had much exercise lately I might add!", Reece Lockhart winked knowingly at the Hodges brothers, and turned his attention to the surfer.

The man was struggling to keep his face from betraying his humour as he acknowledged the joke and stood there, hands on his hips and watched as his two tormentors decided that their history lesson wasn't worth the hassle.

"DAMN!. That was one hell of a way to emasculate those two fools!", as soon as the men and the younger Hodges were out of earshot, the surfer let out a laugh and showed his gratitude to his rescuers, "Much obliged sir to you and your son!. I take it those guys and you folks got a lot of history between you?!", he inquired.

Reece Lockhart dismounted from his horse and Cole followed his father, now taking in the scene around him. Surfing equipment was strewn about the area and it looked like the place was a war zone. The elder Lockhart bent down and picked up something small sticking up from the sand and handed it to the man.

"I'm Reece Lockhart and this here's my boy, my eldest son…Cole."

"Much obliged to you Mr Lockhart. Young Cole!", the tall surfer gave an extravagant little hand gesture and bow, "You got here in time before things were about to hot up!. I daresay I could've taken those guys on but nevertheless, I'm grateful for your help. My name is Ozias. Ozias Preston Hendrix, named only after the world's greatest guitarist!", he grinned and gratefully accepted back his surfing comb which he then stuck in the back pocket of his surfing shorts.

"You do know who Hendrix was Cole?!", he gave the boy a knowing look and a raised eyebrow waiting for a favourable response to his question.

"Uh didn't he play guitar and sing?!", Cole vaguely recalled the name of Jimmy Hendrix but knew very little about him, "Like "Slash" outta "Guns'n'Roses", you like them Ozias?".

"Call me "Ozzie" kid, it sounds much cooler. "Ozias" is my good Sunday god-fearin' Christian name and yes I do know who "Slash" is. Hendrix was the master and Slash well, he's good but Jimi was the man!", he joked, "Guns" are a good band but a little too loud for my likin', saw them a while back but I like bands that are class acts and got a little funk'n'soul to spice things up!." he ran his hand through his long braided hair and tied up a few loose strands back that had fallen around his face, "So you and your son used to own this beach?. That is some claim to make on this place, let me tell you. You get the best waves around here according to the folks back in Montauk and my crew and me decided to come and check it out. Guess I didn't realise jest how much of a "warm welcome" was waitin' on Ozzie here!. I guess every town has its bad folks!", Ozzie mused as he introduced himself to the two Lockharts.

"I'm sorry that you had to experience that Ozzie," Reece Lockhart indeed looked apologetic and grim faced, "I hope you won't think badly of us locals and that this experience hasn't put you off comin' back here. I take it your friends are around somewhere?!", he looked around, understanding that at least the man wasn't left here on his own just in case the Hodges brothers were looking for a rematch. "And yes, our family did own this stretch of beach a long while back. Long story but we don't now, but I ain't got no problem with you being here Ozzie and I want to make it perfectly clear, if you get any trouble from those two goons again, come and have a word with me."

He motioned to his son, "Cole, go and get a flyer for Ozzie here. Just in case".

"Sure Dad", Cole went to his small saddlebag where the flyers advertising his family's ranch were kept and grabbed a couple. The surfer had made an impression on him. The man had cool hair, spoke intelligently and Cole also had noticed the surfing gear and if he could get a word in edgeways as he noticed both Ozzie and his father talking, he wanted to talk to the guy about music. His dad didn't understand about "Guns'n'Roses" or "Def Leppard" or the new bands he was into, but this guy had ACTUALLY seen and heard "Slash" and in Cole's book, that was way beyond "awesome". Oh and he was a surfer as well and Cole wanted to ask Ozzie how easy it was to ride a surfboard, it seemed something that no-one else in his class was doing and after his father had told him about smuggling and how the boats would ride fast into shore, it seemed that this was something that appealed to him.

"Here Ozzie, this is how you get to our ranch!", Cole handed Ozzie a couple of flyers before his father and the surfer could get talking again and he chose his next words carefully, "Ozzie, how easy is it to surf, y'know to do what you do?".

Ozzie stood there thoughtfully, "Well, young Cole, it takes A LOT of practice to get real good. I started young, took me a while to get the basics but when I did, things fell into place. Your dad tells me that you won a couple of riding trophies already and you ain't even in double figures yet!. That is pretty impressive for a kid your age. Shows dedication to your art kid and THAT is how you get good at something, dedication and practice, you gotta have a FEEL for what you do, like a "calling" or something similar", Ozzie replied.

Cole looked at his dad, his eyes sparkling and his manner was bubbling with enthusiasm, "Dad!. I wanna be a surfer!", he blurted out, "Do you think Ozzie here could give me lessons?. Please Dad, the story about the boats riding fast to the shore and the history of our family…don't you see Dad?!.." he spoke without taking a breath, "I think it would be so cool!, I mean I could learn surfing and be like the Lockharts that once rode their boats onto this beach…please Dad..I won't mention wanting a "Walkman" ever again…I'll even turn my music down…please!".

"WHOAH THERE SON!", Reece Lockhart put a protective arm around the boy, "I think we need to slow down there Cole!", he raised his eyes at Ozzie, "I think we have to ask Ozzie here what he thinks first don't you?. After all I'm sure he and his friends have an itinerary to stick to and things to do which don't include nine year old kids getting in their way and cramping their style!".

Ozzie stood there watching the scene between father and son and he admired the younger Lockhart's enthusiasm as he scratched his head and thought about the idea. Hell, he had never taught anyone to surf before!. The kid had guts, talking back to those Hodges brothers and certainly wasn't shy in coming forward to make his views known. Was it fate or destiny that had crossed their paths on this day, who was to say?. Besides, he felt he owed this Reece Lockhart a favour for helping him out.

"Tell you what kid. I'll do it. That's if your father agrees to it. I take it you ain't seen that film with the old Japanese dude who teaches the guy how to do karate or is it kung -fu?!." Ozzie joked, "Mr Lockhart, I promise to take care of your eldest son, besides, I don't think those two goons will want to tussle with yours truly when he has a young bodyguard in the shape of Cole here", the surfer's sense of humour got the better of him.

Reece Lockhart extended his hand and both men shook hands, "You got a deal Ozzie. Just bring Cole back before say eight or so, he's got his chores to do in the stables early tomorrow. Directions are on the flyer where the ranch is."

Cole's eyes went wide, "You mean I get to stay here and learn to surf?!", he looked shocked and could barely believe that his father had agreed to this. "AWESOME!" he looked like he was about to burst with excitement.

Reece Lockhart smiled, glad that his son seemed to have found something which he could channel his energies into, making all their lives that bit easier. "I'll head back to the ranch, son and tell your mother about your new hobby. I daresay she'll be glad to get some peace from that music of yours!" he joked.

"THANKS DAD!", Cole still felt he was in a daze as his father took the reins of his horse and nodded to Ozzie. "Much obliged Ozzie. Cole, best behaviour son. Remember your manners and if Ozzie tells you to do something, you do it and don't make no fuss!", were his parting words.

"Yes dad!", Cole told him as the elder Lockhart turned the horses back the way they came and headed off back down the beach and ultimately to the road and back to the ranch.

Cole turned back to Ozzie who stood there with his hands on his hips and wondered just what was going to happen next.

"So when do we hit the surf?!", he rubbed his hands together and waited for his new friend and mentor to begin his lessons.

"You wanna surf Mr Lockhart?!", Ozzie raised an eyebrow, "Kid, first we gotta tidy this mess up and even THEN, young Cole-san, we ain't going near that water until I teach you the basics and get you a wet-suit!.". The surfer laughed, "Patience is a virtue Cole and besides…", Ozzie reached over for a bag and unzipped it open, producing from its depths, a boom-box that looked to Cole the most amazing piece of technology that he had ever seen in all his nearly ten years. Cole in a techno-daze could not believe that he knew someone with such a cool boom box as this.

"Music makes work seem less of a task wouldn't you say?. We'll get this tidied up Cole and I'll give you LESSON ONE as we work. This is gonna be your introduction to surfing kid, so pay attention!. I know you like "Gun's'n' Roses" kid but all I got with me is a bit of this or a bit of that. Which would you prefer?!".

Cole pointed to his preferred choice as Ozzie grinned, "Now I know you got RHYTHM kid!. I just think we're gonna git along like a house on fire!". Ozzie loaded up the music in the cassette compartment and pressed the "play" button.

"September 20th at "Costa Mesa", California can't come quickly enough!", he added, "I'll be seeing them play there and then in Hawaii at the end of their tour. Seen 'em once before Cole and they were just about the smoothest act ever!. You like em' Cole?".

Cole nodded as the sounds coming out of the boom box got louder as Ozzie turned the volume up to a level that would've got Cole's mom yelling at him back home to turn it down.

"You're so cool man!", the words fell from the youngster's lips as Ozzie snapped his fingers in time with the music.

"Just wait!", Ozzie told him, "By the time I get you taught right Mr Lockhart, you gonna be back to being the king of this here beach!", his hand emphasising the area all around him, "And what a kingdom you got there waitin' for you Cole!".

* * *

><p>"I got a new sensation, in perfect moments<p>

So Impossible to refuse..

It's gonna take you over..

A NEW SENSATION".

INXS: "New Sensation" from "KICK".

* * *

><p>Cole stood there with his surfboard taking in a few deep, cleansing breaths and focussing on the vastness of the ocean stretching out before him. There were so many memories flooding into his mind that trying to find that "calmness" and "focus" was getting difficult and mentally, he tried to push them all back into place but they refused to go willingly.<p>

Ozzie had told him in no uncertain terms that if you didn't go out into the surf with intent and clear purpose, with your mind on the sea and awareness of the conditions, then you could kiss your ass goodbye.

"Cole, you gotta look, kid. CHANNELS is what you're lookin' for and if you can't read the sea and her mood, then she gonna toss you up and spit you out!. Gotta use timing too Cole when you're "paddling out" and that's why we're getting' you into shape before you go anywhere near Mama nature!".

Cole smiled as he remembered those first few days with Ozzie. He wouldn't let Cole near the sea, instead he taught his young student all about physical fitness, how to re-wax surfboards and let some of his surfing crew tell him stories about how they had first started. The ins and outs of the sport were more like an art-form and Ozzie seemed to be the best person to teach him everything. Of course Jocelyn and her mother were frequent visitors to the beach and both Cole and Jocelyn soon became firm friends and the younger Lockhart seemed to get the balance between his life on the land and his free time on the beach sorted out and making himself more popular back home.

His father noticed it as did his mother and the arguments about loud music ceased as Cole got out his ire spending time out with the surfers and hearing their stories and favourite tracks from all the new bands he was into. The summer of 1988 was one which had changed him beyond recognition and one which had moulded him into the man he was today.

"Okay, Cole. You've had your trip down memory lane. Time to concentrate now.", he told himself as he stretched his muscles, warming up and untied the wet suit sleeves from around his waist and got fully suited up ready to complete his exercises and start looking for elusive channels to begin his morning surf.

Cole finished off his warming up with a few normal push ups and several "yoga" push ups. He was careful when and where he did the "yoga" push ups. He'd learned that doing any kind of "yoga" techniques and particularly the push ups would get him attention of the female variety. In fact, that's how he had caught Alison's attention back in the day and of course at the time she had been dating Oscar Hodges on and off for several months. Cole was an opportunist and he knew that Alison deserved a better man than Oscar. Who would want to share their life with someone whose Dad was a crummy owner of run-down roadside diner in the first place?. Cole knew he could challenge Oscar and win hands down without a punch being thrown, lay down in other words his authority and mark over the next generation of Hodges and kin just like his own father back when they had first encountered Ozzie.

Alison would recall during their happier times together before tragedy had pulled them apart, how she and a group of her friends had been walking along the beach one day in their last blissful days of education and ready to head out into the wider world and had come across a group of surfers. Cole in fact, along with Jocelyn and a few of her friends were the "surfer gang" of Montauk and all these little gangs and groups really hung around with people they knew, never really mixing. Alison's group thought that the surfers were just show-offs and it was all just posing and preening on their boards and they were trying hard to be both tough and cool at the same time and it looked laughable.

Of course, Alison, recounted, that was until her and her friends happened to spot the guys doing their warm up exercises and Cole in particular was doing "yoga" push ups, ( a move which showed off all the years ranching and surfing had toned his butt) clad in his wetsuit, that garnered a few whistles and favourable comments.

His wife would always recount the comments that her friends would make and add that it was her that had initially yelled out about "Forget about ridin' surfboards and ride the riders instead!", that had got Cole's attention. She had recognised the eldest Lockhart son straight away and wanted to show her appreciation for his physique, having admired him from a distance for far too long and making her question if there were better options open than Oscar Hodges.

Cole in his younger days was quick to turn his head, straighten up and smile, walking towards his future wife and add with a twinkle in his eye replying "Why thank you there ma'am and I daresay that I would take you up on your offer. Surfboards or horses Miss Bailey?. I know quite a bit about both if you're interested!".

Straightening up and rubbing the sand through his hands, Cole smiled at how that memory always came out of nowhere to remind him about his wife. Taking a few moments to read the signals coming off the ocean, his mind became connected to the body of water and she opened up to him, whispering in a language that only he and his fellow surfers could decipher. Slowly blinking and taking in deep breaths of refreshing ocean air, focussing on the sea before him, he knew that the time was now and the opportunity presented itself to him and him alone. Grabbing his board and reading the channels, he swung into action, ready to waste no further time of memories gone by.

In his mind's eye, he could see the horses in the waves, nature's beasts, something belonging to the deities of the sea. Chariots driven by the surf and sea horses being ridden powered even by strange and untameable forces that no-one dared question or harness. Only the brave and initiated were welcome here and strangers were doomed forever to fail and wander around aimlessly, lost in a maze of sand, spray and breaking waves. Paddling out from the shore, he used both his arms and his legs to push through the water and get some distance between himself and the shore, reading the channels as he went and keeping his mind fixed on the task at hand. If he'd had his short board, he could have "duck -dived" under some of the small breakers heading his way, but he was secure in the knowledge that he was at ease with paddling out in this manner and that to meet this wave head on was the ultimate battle of man versus wave and ultimately Mother Nature herself.

A strong pounding of his own heartbeat and blood pumping through his veins as the coldness of the sea embraced him, soaking his hair and beard and led him to tasting salt on his lips as he began to decipher the language of the sea and crack the code that would allow him to ride the biggest and fiercest waves. Moving closer to his desired destination, he could see that a wave was approaching from far out, the one which all surfers lived and breathed to be able to tell tales of it to other surfing brothers in years ahead, sat around beach fires and recounting their days of lost youth and looking for the elusive "big wave" but never quite finding "The Holy Grail" of surfing lore.

Using his own paddling power and the sleekness of his long board at his disposal, Cole found that he was in perfect synch with this incoming wave and decided just to throw everything at this and go for it. Bearing in mind the lessons he had learned from summers past from Ozzie and later Jocelyn, everything seemed to be coming together in this one moment. The past, the present and even the future as Cole decided to take on the power of "Mother Nature" and come out on top as the winner.

In his mind's eye, he could see himself grabbing the sea-spray of the pounding horse's mane before him, the sea horse outlined in the waves of his imagination and take hold of the beast and ride this untameable force all the way to its inevitable conclusion. He had to be careful not to be trodden by the imaginary pounding hooves of the beast as it made it's way to the shore as he readied himself for the greatest wave ride of his life. He wanted this wave badly. He wanted to ride it for Ozzie's sake and prove his worth as his student, he wanted to ride this wave for his son as well. Gabriel, lost to him who should have been learning to surf in the same way that his father had and now lay in the cold embrace of the earth forever more. He wanted to ride the wave for his father as well. Reece Lockhart who had passed away too soon and before his time leaving him without a solid foundation in his life and the responsibility of taking over not one but two family businesses.

He wanted this wave for himself and for Alison, to rebuild something that seemed shattered and broken between them, to start again and to clean the slate. This wave was something of a full circle, cleaning the way forward for hopefully change and something better to take its place, something to bring in the new and sweep away the old order.

Cole angled the board and saw his opportunity to take what was his right in front of his eyes as he rode this wave and either side of him, he could feel the ghosts of his past and his loved ones with him in that brief few minutes as his timing and training finally paid off and the wave was his. The sea horse had been broken in as Cole felt the exhilaration of success pour into his very being as he rode the wave and feeling the energy and power that went with success and realised that indeed, as Ozzie had once told him, "The fish has been transformed into a dragon". The mustang of the surf had done everything in its power to shake off this determined surfer. Foam from its muzzle scattered everywhere and the spray of its mane coated Cole from head to foot, but determined to hold on and tame this wave, he wasn't about to be beaten. In this monumental struggle, it had been a man of the land who had succeeded in taming the equine wave and Cole felt every fibre of his being crackle with pride, knowing what he had achieved.

Truly he was no longer "a fish" in surfing terms, he really had transformed himself into a "RIONG", a dragon of power and motion completely able to attack and defend all and everything that would stand in his way. He really understood it now and as the power of the wave petered out and he let the sea embrace him as lay there, driven up all the way to the shore and lying there on his back, in the breaking waves of the shore and looking up at the cloudless sky, the blood still pounding in his head and the biggest smile gracing his features.

Somewhere back in his mind's eye, he was just under ten years old again and the world seemed such an exciting place to be in. There were so many things to discover and he could be anything that he wanted to be. Life hadn't scarred his soul yet and no doubt in time it would.

Just now, he was content to lie here and let the waters of the ocean wash away everything that had been building up deep inside and stay in that memory.

As he closed his eyes and listened to the waves sloshing around him and tasting the salt on his lips, he realised that for a few brief moments, he had found happiness and freedom from the cares of his life. He was more than his name of Cole Lockhart, he was more than a brother, a son and a husband to those that he loved and cared about. He was more than a rancher, more than a unwilling drug dealer, more than a "pillar of the community" of Montauk.

He was a surfer who had just ridden the wave of a lifetime and had lived to tell the tale. He was a "Riong", a child of the dragon, worthy of respect as the totem that etched his skin and for the first time in a long while he could move forward again and start putting his life back together and do what was right for the future.

Such insights were rare and precious things indeed.

* * *

><p>"In your mind, you're tall and brave,<p>

Riding the crest of a high and beautiful wave.

You make your movements known and where you want to be,

And everybody knows, that's how it's got to be.

In the sheltered morning sun.."

A-HA: "Riding The Crest" from "Foot Of The Mountain" CD.

* * *

><p>THE END.<p>

* * *

><p>Okay then. So what do you think of that one then?. Any reviews good or bad welcome and as usual, thanks for reading and I hope you enjoyed it.<p>

Next comes all the info, so like the closing credits of a movie, you can skip my ramblings if you want, so here goes:

DISCLAIMER: Right, in no way am I stepping on Sarah Treem's toes by writing about the show in this way. I just thought that there's a great deal to "Cole" and his story and background that happens to be untold and basing this narrative on what I've seen so far, there is SO much potential to bring his character further out in the series. Hopefully, season two will be fruitful and get shown in the UK.

To compare with an "Observer" from "Fringe", I can "see" the future of this being on UK television, don't know why but I see it and I usually have a good sixth sense about these things, so fingers crossed.

The title of Chapter Two again inspired by "Peter Pan" and the reference to "The Lost Boys" which again is another good movie in itself and one which has a cracking soundtrack and one which I recommend!. Ditto with "The Crow" and both "Karate Kid" movies (80's versions and later Jackie Chan).

Music wise, I wasn't going to put so many songs in, but these things have a habit of writing themselves and songs spring to mind.

"Don't Lose Your Head" comes from the final CD of "INXS" with Michael Hutchence called "Elegantly Wasted" and "New Sensation" comes from "Kick". U2's track "Stuck In A Moment" is all about Hutch and the reason I referenced so much Hutch/INXS was at the time of writing this story out January 22nd would've been Michaels's 55th birthday. The tour dates I referenced in the story are ones which the band actually played courtesy of INXS archives found online.

Once a fan, always a fan and it never leaves you, even after all this time, so forgive my continual references to INXS but they were a great band and sadly remain underrated and forgotten about.

The other tracks being "A-ha" and their song "Riding The Crest" felt like a good way to end the story, on a more happier note and one of achievement and there's so many other tracks I wanted to use but the narrative would've been screwed up.

"The Gypsy Kings" track is an interesting one as in "The Affair" itself there's a scene where the Lockhart boys are carrying boxes of "Cole's Trophies" and a box of their Dad's records. The record being "The Gypsy Kings" and the track "Bamboleo". Yup, I'm a dork/geek for recognising details like that but it got me thinking about WHAT Cole won his trophies for and that his dad must've been around circa 88/89 if that record was out. That was the main idea for this story and also the fact the maybe Cole's childhood was when he took up surfing and how all that came about. Just to show a different side to his character.

So if you hadn't guessed by now, I set the story of most of Cole's childhood flashbacks to the summer of 1988. Anyone recall "Kick" and Def Leppard's "Hysteria" selling bucket loads and "Gun's n' Roses" and "Appetite For Destruction"?. I take it any of you reading this can't quite recall the era of big chunky "Walkmans" and big boom boxes?. Don't worry…it was a different era..really it was!. Still got my working "Walkman" as well despite it being classed as a "museum piece" and my second "Kick" copy as I played out the first cassette non-stop. Bring out memories for anyone yet?.

The actual "surfing" info I got all on-line and okay, you may think I referenced "ONE WEEK" as background, but I actually didn't. My inspiration came from and as a non-drinker, you'll think this weird, but the booze ads always are the ones that stick in your head…drum roll…

"GUINESS SURFER AD 1998", tap that one into "You tube" and you'll get the idea. Visually, a totally stunning piece of work and bar the "singing FREEVIEW toys" ( check the ad out to that replete with the "Foreigner track", it's brilliant and I want to live in that universe where the toys sing soft rock anthems!), which is another matter altogether, television ads DO work and stick in your brain. In years to come an idea can get triggered by a small ad and goodness knows what that can lead to!.

Okay, I'm rambling on again, I'll make it more concise, RIGHT, Cole's OTHER tattoo. SO, I did some research on what I think it could be. REALLY Mr Jackson, could us fan girls just get a "wee snifter" of a hint, just a teeny clue as to what the other tattoo is?. If you want to keep us guessing then okay, but here's ONE theory.

"Dragons And Dragon Lore" a book from 1928 written by Ernest Ingersoll and Chapter Seven entitled " Korean Water And Mountain Spirits". That obscure enough for you all?.

A "riong" as I mentioned in the narrative is a type of dragon associated with water, the forces of motion, change and used as a guardian symbol for protection and defence. Sounds like a "surfing totem" to me but with Cole's character being what he is, it feels like this image would suit him completely. Although it could be a "fish-dragon" like creature as I also stated regarding the Chinese saying.

A nice Blu-ray version of "The Affair" paused at certain key moments would be one way to clear up this conundrum but until that happens, this is what I think the image is. However, anyone else is welcome to chip in on the debate and no doubt we'll all probably kick ourselves when the true image is finally revealed.

Can I get brownie points for the effort though?.

Finally, "Snugg" wetsuits are manufactured by a company based in Cornwall in the U.K and speaks for itself along with the "Mr Zog's Sex Wax". Damn but a good "Fifty Shades Of Surfboards" fic is just ripe for writing here! (any takers?).

Probably forgotten to mention millions of additional things here but I'll leave you with the "Bamboleo" translation, in it's rough form but you'll get the meaning, and I'll be back writing a "Fringe" fic next. Unless of course another "Cole" fic idea comes a-callin' . Thanks for putting up with me and also check out the only other writer doing some Cole fic. That being "CPP GIRL" and her story "Lessons learned".

"Bamboleo" translation : "That love arrives this way,

This way, it's not at fault.

A Horse dances in vain,

Because it's so very scorned.

That's why, it don't forgive your crying

That kind of love arrives this way,

It's not its fault.

Love to save, Love from in the past,

Because in my life,

I prefer to live it that way".


End file.
